TravelStream™ news feed for member taralacey on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/taralacey en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:41:28 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137164820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137164820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137164820/tpod.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:41:28 -0500 Traveling back to Kampala

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Capetown, South Africa

So after spending 2 weeks in Kampala upon my return from the States, I headed to Polokwane for a training workshop that lasted for 3 weeks. At least I had my close friend Tom there with me who also attended. Its focus was on micro-enterprise development and I took the business development courses. First, we had some problems getting to South Africa. Our flight out of Kampala was at 5:30 a.m meaning showing up at the airport at 3:30 a.m. Tom was not in the system for any of the legs - to Nairobi and to Johannesburg. He managed to get on the flight to Nairobi so we would just try hard again once we were there....In Nairobi the problem became me instead of Tom. I did not have one clean page left in my passport - a SA rule even though US citizens don't need a visa, whatever sticker they place in your book takes up 1 page. Ugh. So after fighting with Kenya Airways, we called Jane- the driver we use when there are business meetings in Nairobi. She came to pick us and we attempted to go to the Embassy on a Saturday to get pages added to my passport. No such luck -even with calling a few contacts. What is the purpose of an Embassy? So spent the weekend in Nairobi on most of Kenya Airway's dime. We finally made it to Polokwane -which is 2.5 hours North of Johannesburg. Never will I again attend a training seminar for 3 weeks -way too long. I did learn a lot and met people from all over Africa and in other countries like Afghanistan, Kosovo, and the Philippines. Evening entertainment took place in the Holiday Inn bar where we learned the traditional Afghan wedding dance and peoples thoughts on free markets /democracy. I must say after a few drinks these conversations got a little deep. I ran a lot until I busted an already hurt toe (from whitewater rafting) so the running stopped. I got some free passes to the local gym but only went once. The queue to the treadmills was long and the gym was fool of what looked like bleached blond "steroid user" men. I even managed to check out Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon, supposedly the 3rd largest canyon in the world. I saw the same animals in Kruger as I did in the Masai Mara but most of their markings were a little different - the giraffes were darker and the zebra's stripes were of different patterns. The Kenyan safari was much better than Kruger with Kruger being too commercialized and touristy. The end of the training could not have come any sooner so Tom and I headed a little earlier to Johannesburg before our flight the next day to Capetown. Johannesburg was a little freaky. Without having a suitable map, we managed to find our way to a suburb called Mellville. Melville is a college town so the strip had some very fun stores and restaurants. The problem was that it was a Friday night and nobody was around. We ate at a place called Chaplins and asked our waiter where everyone was - he commented that not many people ventured out because of security. It seemed fine to me but then again we didn't spend much time walking around that evening. The next day we headed to Capetown to explore the city, peninsula and wine country for 1 week. As if I was not already missing San Francisco, it was a reminder of what I miss the most - water, mountains, good food and good wine. We went to Robin Island, where Mandela was held; table mountain via the cable car; shopping on the Waterfront; drove down to Cape Point and around to Boulders Beach where we eyed the African Penguins; and spent 2 days in the wine country with the help of John Platter's book on SA wines. We would have been in deep trouble without it because the options were endless. Both enjoying Cabernets mostly, we went down his list of favorites. They became our favorites too. My favorite stop had to be a paring of red wines with Belgium chocolate. Holy cow- I did not know there could be so much variety in chocolate- So 12 bottles later and with a new set of hub caps because of my tiny accident in the rental car, we were on our way back to the airport heading to Kampala.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137078000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137078000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006-1/1137078000/tpod.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:07:26 -0500 Traveling back to Kampala

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Kampala, Uganda

Well we made it and entry into the country was just a matter of flashing some papers. When I let him out of the kennel outside the airport- you can only imagine the stares- probably the first Dalmatian the have ever seen. Poor guy was overwhelmed with the new smells. It took me about 1 full week to adjust to the time difference and life again in Uganda before heading off again to a 3-week training workshop in Polokwane, South Africa. But just before heading out, I spent the weekend white water rafting on the White Nile in Jinja, about 1 hour north of Kampala. The experience was great but I am not sure something I plan on doing again in the near future. The rapids were level 3-6 and the entire journey was a bit intense- especially falling out and trying to find you way back into the boat with raging currents. The last rapid is optional -meaning the guide gives you the opportunity to bag it because you are guaranteed to fall out and from what I found out -experience hell. It is probably the first time I really thought I was a goner. My baseball hat under my helmet broke, landing in my face so I could neither see nor breathe between the suffocating hat and waves. I was being carries so quickly down the river that I was afraid nobody had seen me go until luckily one of the kayakers who's job it is to grab people when they fall out was right there to pull me out. I was in a complete panic that lasted for about another hour. Yikes!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1136125200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1136125200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1136125200/tpod.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 09:44:59 -0500 Out with 2005 and in with 2006

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Jackson, United States

Traveling back to San Francisco via Dubai with stopovers in Paris and London was fun yet tiring. I was able to catch up with friends Gerald and Darryl so it was well worth it.Ah and it was great to touch American soil and to reunite with friends and my dog in San Francisco. The time went so quick -I wish I could have stayed another week. And Mississippi was great! I was able to spend some good quality time with my family and relax
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1129814100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1129814100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/africa_2006/1129814100/tpod.html Mon, 13 Mar 2006 09:18:56 -0500 Out with 2005 and in with 2006

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South Sudan, Sudan

End of 2005So lets begin from where I left off. I worked on a couple of contracts for ARC. One was a tiny proposal I wrote for funding for activities in Northern Uganda. The second turned out to be more important - Writing a business plan for the creation of a microfinance institution in South Sudan. For the assessment, I traveled to four different towns within South Sudan and managed to check out Khartoum, where I spent Thanksgiving at a Chinese Restaurant that served "special tea" or beer. Hold on -need to kill a mosquito that keeps flying into my computer screen. Ok so it wasn't the best Thanksgiving but at least I was with some American friends. The trips to these towns were quite interesting- ranging from a flight on an old Russian Antonov plane with no windows to riding in a car that used a coke liter bottle with an extended hose as a gas tank. Each place told a different story - one place told the story of 21 yrs of civil war with no infrastructure whatsoever and very poor people from the South, while another located further North was completely controlled by Arab traders from Khartoum. Regardless every place is severely underdeveloped and lacks EVERYTHING - no running water, no electricity, no transportation, no communication. Electricity and communications are slowly being introduced which will help tremendously. Lets juts say I got use to eating roasted meat?!@ in the dark , drinking soft drinks because water was not always available, squatting in a hole and taking bucket baths. And of course there are more funny stories like staying at the Islamic Relief Compound and opening the door to the toilet/showers -practically walking in on a man just so I could find my bra I had left hanging on the hook after my shower. So the assessment ended, the plan was written and I was on my way to the USA.Because of security reasons, I chose not to take my camera so sorry no good pictures :-(
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_14/1128088440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_14/1128088440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_14/1128088440/tpod.html Sun, 23 Oct 2005 11:56:23 -0400 Safari in the Masai Mara

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Nairobi, Kenya

I had the travel bug so I went to Nairobi to do some networking and since my buddy Tom had a conference, we decided to make for a long weekend and head to the Masai Mara for an amazing safari experience. Nairobi was amazing. Such a melting pot of people and to me it is a metropolitan place. We stayed at this great resort where the conference was being held and was thrilled to death over simple things like "The Week" magazine in their magazine rack. I am sure I have a few of these by now stacked up in SF. The day in Nairobi was spent visiting various NGOs, the UN and other people I have met over the past few months- a busy day. George, my driver was so great. I invited him to have lunch at Java House, the happening place to eat and he was a bit shocked- probably a little too unusual to eat with a white person you are driving around but I did not care. We only had a couple of looks and I did not care. I was just enjoying watching George eating a huge hamburger with fries. I had this gigantic latte and chicken salad. Dinner was at some of Tom's friends home who have lived in Kenya for many years. The next day we headed for the Masai Mara.We boarded a tiny tiny plane for a 45 minute flight to a place called Little Governors Camp. It was sad to see all of the slums from above as we were leaving Nairobi but so cool to see all of the wildebeest and zebra running below as we reached the Masai Mara, in the western part of Kenya close to the Tanzanian border. Little Governors Camp was wonderful as well as our 17 yr veteran guide, Samuel. When we arrived we were greeted with a glass of fresh mango juice and informed of the scheduled activities for the next 2 days. Lunch was served sitting out looking over a vast green landscape. Just in front was a large marsh where 10 or so elephants would come out to eat and bathe. Around 3:30 pm., we headed out with Samuel and some German guy that visits every year. We saw giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, elephants and lions. It was simply amazing! The binoculars even made it more spectacular because you could see every element of their markings and just how beautiful they were-especially the set of 3 lion brothers.There were around 20 or so other guest and we all gathered in the sitting/bar area for a drink before dinner. Dinner was served under a tent, but not game food as some would think but chicken one night an steak the other.Early the next morning we took a balloon ride - wow is all I can say. Our pilot was an Australian who took the opportunity to work at the camp for a few months and brought his darling family to Kenya as well. The ride was something I will remember forever- especially the landing as most women were screeching as we landed a rolled over sideways. The trucks picked us up and we headed to a huge breakfast spread with everything from champagne to eggs to chocolate croissants. After this, we headed back to the camp to eat once again and then went for the afternoon safari hunting where we saw hyenas, more lions, crocodiles, hipos. The next day was our final day of the safari experience and we had a packed breakfast in the middle of the Masai and then went to visit a village. The plane ride back seemed longer probably because I was tired from our 5:30 wake up calls. We met more of Tom's friends at the newest sushi joint before we headed to the airport. The airport was backed up because of a cargo crash so we decided to just spend the night in the airport and jump on the morning flight back to Kampala.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_12/1126786500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_12/1126786500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_12/1126786500/tpod.html Sat, 22 Oct 2005 09:04:16 -0400 Learning to Sail on Lake Victoria

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Kampala, Uganda

Learning how to sail a laser on Lake Victoria was amazing. Two full weekends and 3 Wednesday night dry classes earned me a certificate. There was as group of us: me, greg and his wife, sanja and tom from ARC and Kim, from Colorado. The first weekend there was a lot of capsizing so a lot of bruising right below the elbows and on the legs. On the elbows because when it tips you have to jump on the centerboard until it slowly flips back over. At one point the wind was so strong, I was hanging onto the centerboard as the entire boat and me were sailing sideways - a little scary. I think I was more worried about losing my San Fran baseball hat more than anything. My next attempt will be wind surfing on the Lake.The instructors were great- one was from the Netherlands and the other from the U.K. It was a great way to meet new people and is fun to see them now when you are out and about. The last weekend we camped at the sailing club and had a bbq. We had other friends join us for the evening. There was a midnight sail but I chose not to joinI have been more focused over the past couple of weeks about working towards an opportunity that will bring me back in January. One is starting the micro-leasing operations for Uganda Microfinance Ltd. I thought I was getting away from leasing but I guess not. I have not pushed USAID for a contract but it is feasible. I am more interested in future projects that will take me to N. Uganda/S. Sudan where there is much need. The International Film Festival has been here in Kampala. I went to see a few films. One was Motorcycle Diaries with my friend Jennifer from Ireland and Lindsey, my neighbor. It was held at an old theater whose seats were very old couches that looked and smelt like grandma's house. I think half of the people were asleep.Mexican night was at Russ' place. He works for the USA Embassy so his pad was sweet. His last station was in Indonesia so he has some amazing furniture. He is from Texas and had all of the ingredients and equipment to make tortillas. He has a Land Cruiser for sale so I am going to take it for a test drive in the next day or 2 to make sure I can drive the manual with my left hand and on the left side of the street.- scary. The dinner was good and as always met some new people. One girl from Atlanta and the other from Greensboro, who was a bit painful. Enjoying my new place and should have internet there in the next week or so. I am under this hill so my new running route has some hills and not much traffic which is good for the half asleep morning runs. The other day while I saw a few things on my run and thought that 3 months ago seeing a goat tied by its feet riding on the lap of a guy driving a moped would be strange. Now it is so normal...and a women walking down a hill carrying a basket of?? on her head while holding a bucket full of water in one hand and dragging a large tree branch with 2 men walking in front of her.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_11/1126264680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_11/1126264680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_11/1126264680/tpod.html Sat, 22 Oct 2005 07:55:18 -0400 Goat Races

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Kampala, Uganda

Goat Races in Kampala were held at the Speke resort. The resort was very impressive and would be a very nice get away - they had horses, gigantic pool, nice bar and restaurant. This is an annual event where people buy goats to race and the money goes to charity. You of course dont keep the goat, because as I quickly realized it was about 20 goats with there numbers being changed with each race. poor things. It was a lot of fun to buy a goat and race it but our group lost :-( There were many vendors with tents like the local beers, mobile networks, etc. There was even a contest for the best hat.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_10/1124802720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_10/1124802720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_10/1124802720/tpod.html Mon, 12 Sep 2005 10:37:46 -0400 Watching Katrina from Africa

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Kampala, Uganda

Not much to tell this week except for watching the hurricane devistate the South and feeling sick again. Finally decided to go to "The Surgery". What a name for the clinic where all of the white people are suppose to go. I did not have an appointment and waited for a while. All test were negative but I did take some antibiotics for a couple of days. Just one of the side effects of living here.Work has been a little slow but I am beginning to visit all of the branches. I am the little spy that goes in to see which branches are not going by policies and procedures. Everyone is very kind and think it is funny that I enjoy going out into the field. I feel that is the best way to learn what microfinance is all about. Many clients do not speak English so I have to have someone translate. It was my first ride by bicycle and we actually went prett fast back into the hard to reach areas. Lost of poverty yet the people are so happy and friendly. You can only imagine how I stick out and all of the little kids follow us yelling "muzungo, muzungo"
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_9/1124544060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_9/1124544060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_9/1124544060/tpod.html Thu, 25 Aug 2005 12:40:58 -0400 New Home

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Kampala, Uganda

Work week was slow so I took advantage of looking into other projects. One is working with Airline Ambassadors to bring humanitarian aid to Uganda. As many of you know, I went to El Salvador with this group in January and for all of you who gave me your used cell phones, it was for this great group. (www.airlineamb.org). I am going to go to Jinja, source of the Nile, next week to look at some potential projects. When we do a mission, volunteers can bring aid to children and experience some of the best white water rafting ever to be found. I also went to visit this group called Reach Out. It is in the Mbuya community and it focuses on helping those with HIV/AIDS. They have a clinic and a couple of income-generating projects like microfinance. I spent a couple of hours this week learning their system. Robert and Turkey are the 2 taxi drivers Ida and I have used. Robert was my driver this week to the Mbuya project. He would wait for me which was nice and then had me a couple of flowers he had picked while I was inside. He is all excited about helping me move on Sunday to my new place.Friday is here and I skipped out early for a run before I hooked up with Greg, Sophia,and Tom for a night out at Café Roma and Capital City. The food was pretty good but the bar was pretty interesting. I am not sure if I mentioned earlier the large number of prostitutes that take over most of the bars here in Kampala. I have never seen such aggressiveness. They literally fight over men. Greg and I were playing pool while Sophia and Tom (sitting side by side) watched. A drunk prostitute came and practically sat in Tom's lap, looked at Sophia and asked if they were married. She said yes, but the women kept at it...amazing.Saturday had lunch with Emmanuelle, a girl from Planet Finance. Planet Finance is the equivalent to S&P and Moodys for microfinance groups. She is here doing a project for the EU. We met through a Thunderbird alum, that contacted me and said her colleague would be here for a few weeks. It was nice to get her thoughts about the industry. I have invited her to stay through next weekend so she can experience nightlife in Kampala. Something one should never miss.After lunch I moved into my cottage. Met Lindsay (cottage #2) and she invited me to a party at cottage #1. Lindsay just graduated from Emory and is doing research for PHD students at Makerere University. Lindsay gave me the lowdown and told me about the mango flies. This was new for me but these are flies that lay their eggs in clothes and when one goes to put on their pants, the larvae penetrates through the skin and form and bump. The bump grows until finally a worm pops out. I was like what the hell have I done- there were no mango flies in my previous dump. She assured me that if you iron your clothes, it kills them.. She even irons her underwear. Lots of Fulbright scholars teaching and working here. Evening was fun. I invited one of the students to come in and interview for our open position as debt collector - he was a creative charmer so I am sure he can do the job.Went to sleep and when I woke up at 6:30 a.m. I thought I was in a Tarzan movie with all of the crazy bird sounds. There is one that sounds just like a monkey. I made a nice pot of brewed Kenyan coffee - thanks to Tom and my new home gift and sat on my balcony.Very nice! Remie, the women in charge of housekeeping came by to pick up laundry. I asked her to please iron them.In the afternoon, there was a bbq/birthday party for an ARC intern who is returning to the states to finish her studies at NYU. We stopped by the ARC office and I was able to meet their dogs. Big dogs that are looking for a running partner so my new mission is to find an adequate leash and collar. I was so happy to find mint leaves the other day so I mentioned that I was going to have a mojito party soon. So.. I made up a nice pitcher of the famous Cuban drink. Most had never tried the drink and I have to say they were yummy.When I arrived home it was dark. I went to downstairs and noticed my chair in front of the dressing table was missing. Hmm. I turned on the light and obviously Remie had been their because my clothes were al nicely ironed and folded...nice! Decided to come to the Blue Mango and update this thing since I am getting behind. On my way out, the security guard and I had a good time taking pictures...He was hilarious trying to change outfits and positions next to the animals.. I was cracking up!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_8/1124134260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_8/1124134260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/taralacey/uganda-week_8/1124134260/tpod.html Mon, 22 Aug 2005 09:32:42 -0400 Celebrating UMU's 8th anniversary

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Kampala, Uganda

Busy work week and even ventured out to check out some new places to live. My landlady is killing me with her greed so I am determined to find a new and better place. Went with this agent called Robin and he basically showed me crap. Still stuck with the florescent green walls and burgundy couch.Friday has arrived. Tonight is the celebration for the Uganda Microfinance Union's 8th anniversary and for finally achieving the MDI status as a private organization- Uganda Microfinance Limited. The dinner was held at the Sheraton hotel and only investors, donors, the 1st 20 employees, and branch managers were invited. I was happy to get an invitation. My pictures did not turn out well but I did get a picture of the cake, which resembled a wedding cake. Dinner was buffet but I avoided the first few dishes of matoke, potatoes and rice- just cant do it anymore. I have never been so happy to see a Caesar salad. Greg, Rodney and I had drinks with some partners and investors from Kenya. The Sheraton bar was just renovated and resembles a typical funky hotel bar in the States. I was quite impressed. Not so much with the wine choices. A South African agreed with me. Decided to go home and not venture out to the clubs. Just getting too old to stay out til 4 or and.it kills the next day. Saturday I went to lunch with Greg and Tom, a new friend I met at the Blue Mango the previous weekend. Tom is originally from Texas and is the country director for the American Refugee Committee. Great guy and has become a great mentor because of his experience living and working in Bosnia, India and Zambia to name a few. He wants to open up a Mexican restaurant since currently there only exist a restaurant that is called "Fat Boyz'" and their idea of chips and salsa is the British version (french fries and ketchup). He is hoping Greg's wife can work on the project when she returns from Croatia next week. Tried crocodile for the first time and it was actually pretty good. After lunch we ventured to a bbq/beer volleyball party that a couple was having at their home. The husband works for the International Rescue Committee and the wife for Shorebank,a bank out of Chicago that is heavily involved in microfinance. Also guys from the USA Embassy (always good to meet) and from other groups like Catholic Relief Svcs and Oxfam. Great networking opportunity to find a permanent job and make new friends. All Americans with families and their precious kids running around.Found out about a cottage from a girl who is doing a research project for Stanford University so I went to visit them. They are right across the street from the Blue Mango. The boda boda (taxi motorcycle) I got on for the short ride had no clue where he was going. I kept tapping on the back asking him why he turned the wrong way. I made him stop and jumped of without paying. I jumped on another one and the same damn thing but he took me on a tour of Kampala before I finally convinced him he did not know the Blue Mango. The 5 minute ride took 40 minutes and I was so mad I refused to pay him what he was asking...it was his fault. He tried to block my entry into the cottages and even got the security guard at the cottages involved. Finally, my future landlord and developer of the lodge took care of the xtra charge just to get the man to leave . The cottages are part of a safari lodge restaurant and hotel that is under construction. The landlord's name is Kisozi and he is renting the cottages at a "special" rate until opening. After opening, he plans on charging $1,200/mth. I knew it would be an interesting meeting. Kisozi is a Ugandan who was once a farmer with 7,000 heads of cattle. He decided to move into a business that was "not so mobile". He decided to become a real estate developer/investor. He was dressed head to toe Gucci..the kind you find on Canal St in NYC and was watching one of his employees wash his turquoise/green Mercedes. The look on his face when I told him where I was currently living was priceless. He said he was no longer giving the special rate because he was opening in September. In the end, I think it was not my negotiation skills that sealed the deal of $500/mth (even after the joint opens) but the fact that he thinks I am living in a total shit hole. Regardless, I am really excited about this place. It is like living in a safari game lodge, so cozy. Pool is coming soon and the common area with wireless internet. It has a balcony upstairs /porch downstairs, fully furnished to the max, cleaning and laundry service every 2 days if desired and a 24 hour guard post right outside my door. - Not that it is even needed with the other guard at the front gate. Now I just have to figure out how to convince him to let Tagua be the community guard dog...ha.Early Wednesday morning, Turkey, the taxi driver came to pick up Ida and take her to the airport for her trip home. I was very sad. I don't think it hit me until I walked back inside after walking her out to the taxi. We had a fun couple of nights prior to her leaving and I was able to show her my new place. I am surviving, knowing our friendship will last a lifetime. I cannot wait to watch her grow and make this world a better place. Miss U!
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